Mortal Alchemy

Chen Ping found the scene strange, yet he couldn't recall why, unable to perceive the oddity within it.

In reality, the grayish-white bead on Chen Ping's neck was scalding hot and red.

...

Within the heart demon's dreamscape.

After finishing breakfast, Chen Ping followed his father out, walking through the village. He saw his second aunt's husband gambling at the rich man's house.

Chen Ping's father whispered, "Ping'er, don't look."

"You must stay away from these people."

Chen Ping followed his father to the county town.

The county town was extremely bustling.

Chen Ping looked at the large steamed buns in the steamer drawer, tugging at his father's hand and saying, "Father, I want to eat meat buns!"

"I want to eat meat buns!"

"Alright, alright." Chen Ping's father's eyes were full of loving smiles. "I'll buy you meat buns!"

Chen Ping felt as if he had never eaten meat buns before; in his childhood, he had only eaten pig feed.

Chen Ping's father watched him eat the meat buns, asking, "Ping'er, what is your dream?"

While eating the meat buns, Chen Ping replied, "I want to study, take the imperial examinations in the future, and after gaining fame, I'll learn from the rich man at the village entrance, marry ten or eight wives, and buy good land to live on!"

"Good, you have ambition!" Chen Ping's father praised. "Hurry up and finish eating; Father will take you to register at the private school."

Time passed quickly in the dreamscape.

After entering the private school, Chen Ping studied diligently and was often praised by the teacher. Although Chen Ping wasn't very intelligent, he was the most earnest and motivated.

The teacher even brought gifts to his home, taking Chen Ping as his disciple. When Chen Ping grew up, with his recommendation, he could participate in the imperial examinations.

In the blink of an eye, ten years passed. Chen Ping transformed from a six- or seven-year-old child into a handsome young man.

His parents, with graying temples, saw him off at the door: "Ping'er, be careful on the road!"

Chen Ping laughed heartily: "Father and Mother, rest assured. This time, your son will surely pass with flying colors and gain fame. When the time comes, I'll bring you to the city to live a good life."

His mother shed tears, and his father's eyes were filled with hope.

Chen Ping carried his book box and headed to the examination site.

Half a month later, the results of the provincial examination were released. Chen Ping's name was at the top, becoming the number one new scholar!

Carriages and fertile land were delivered to his door. Chen Ping had a large house in the county town and brought his parents to live with him.

Afterward, matchmakers began to arrive, wanting to arrange marriages for Chen Ping.

There are three great joys in life.

The moment of passing the imperial examination, the wedding night.

Chen Ping married a beautiful wife, and the two were loving and harmonious, but after three or four years, Chen Ping still had no children.

Chen Ping's parents began to worry: "Ping'er, how about spending some money to take concubines?"

Chen Ping thought about it and agreed.

Having children early to continue the family line was also a major matter.

Chen Ping married one concubine after another, indulging in carnal pleasures every day.

Soon, he woke up: "I am still young, I should study hard and continue to participate in the imperial examinations."

But when Chen Ping wanted to study hard, his parents advised him to have children early.

Chen Ping fell into the painful pleasures of sexual relations again, and after each encounter, he always felt very tired.

The dreamscape's demon: "…This person's soul is haunted; there are even soul fragments scattered, and some kind of magical artifact is eroding this demon's dreamscape."

"I must speed things up!"

The grayish-white bead on Chen Ping's neck was scalding hot and red, absorbing Chen Ping's soul into the grayish-white bead, preventing Chen Ping's soul from being devoured by the heart demon.

The flow of time in the dreamscape accelerated.

Year after year, Chen Ping still had no descendants. Because of too much sexual activity, his body was getting worse and worse.

But his parents were already old and frail.

"Ping'er, can your parents see you have descendants before they die?"

Of the three unfilial acts, having no descendants is the greatest!

Chen Ping was forty years old, also middle-aged. Over the years, he had been studying hard, but he had never been able to pass the provincial examination.

Seeing his parents like this, the middle-aged Chen Ping also shed tears:

"Father, Mother, your son will definitely let you see your grandson before you pass away."

Chen Ping gritted his teeth and married a few more concubines, and began to take tiger-wolf medicine.

Every time after taking tiger-wolf medicine, Chen Ping was indeed full of energy, but afterward, Chen Ping had to sleep for half a day.

As the number of times he took tiger-wolf medicine increased, Chen Ping aged faster and faster, and the time he slept became longer and longer.

Chen Ping felt: "…I seem to have no way to leave descendants, and I am about to die."

He felt very uncomfortable, his memory also began to be unclear, and every time he fell asleep, he would have strange dreams.

He dreamed that his parents died early, and he entered the world of cultivation.

"Heh, not asking about the common people but asking ghosts and gods? We scholars, how can we believe in the ways of ghosts and gods?"

Chen Ping shook his head and continued to take tiger-wolf medicine, determined to leave descendants before his parents died.

Bowl after bowl… Several more years passed, and Chen Ping still had not left any descendants.

This day, after taking a bowl of tiger-wolf medicine, he actually vomited blood on the spot: "Father, Mother, your son is unfilial!"

Chen Ping felt that his body was hollowed out and was not far from death.

And Chen Ping's will to die became stronger and stronger. He began to not favor female beauty, moved back to the village from the county town, and even hired people to start repairing his grave.

Chen Ping's mind became more and more unclear. Every day, he just sat at the door in a daze, watching the sunrise and sunset, and would go to his grave to take a look when he had nothing to do:

"I will soon be sleeping here…"

Beside his grave were his parents' graves. His parents had passed away with regret a few years ago.

For this reason, Chen Ping felt deeply guilty, feeling that he was an unfilial son.

One day, Chen Ping found that he could not get out of bed.

And the servant he hired, after discovering this, did not take care of him, but instead mobilized his wives and concubines to rob his property.

Chen Ping's eyes were full of pain: "Why did it come to this?"

Chen Ping lay in bed waiting for death. Three days later, Chen Ping seemed to foresee his death. The memories of his entire life suddenly flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.

Then his breathing became weaker and weaker, and his consciousness fell into darkness: "I am going to die…"

The dreamscape demon revealed a smile: "Good, good, this body should be taken over by me!"

After Chen Ping's consciousness fell into darkness.

"Huff!!!"

Chen Ping suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath: "Where am I?"

His soul awakened, and true memories flooded his mind.

"I am undergoing the Golden Core Tribulation. A heart demon invaded, creating a false life, just to seize my body!"

Since Chen Ping began cultivating, he had never felt kinship. In love, he believed in Mu Xingling and was betrayed.

These two points were his flaws, which were used by the heart demon to weave a dream, making him willingly die.

And the grayish-white bead brought his soul into the inheritance hall.

Chen Ping's eyes turned cold: "The demon is trying to seize my body?!"

Chen Ping immediately used his soul power to activate the grayish-white bead:

"Refine the heart demon for me!"

The dreamscape heart demon was about to occupy Chen Ping's body when it suddenly revealed a look of horror, making an unbelievable scream:

"What is this magical artifact! It can actually refine me!"

"No!!!"